Please Join Us for our Upcoming Progressive~Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner... Blog Style!

My sweet and creative blog friend, Diane,from Home Sweet Homemade has been industriously organizing a wonderful cyber~potluck...featuring a small collection of bloggers from throughout the ethers! She has very graciously invited me to be featured among this lovely group! We plan to post tried~and~true recipes for celebrating the Thanksgiving Holidays as well as a few time~honored ways to made delicious meals from the Remains of our Holiday Feasts! Among those participating are...


Diane from Home Sweet Homemade

Pamela from Be Colorful

Laura from White Spray Paint

Carrie from Project Possessed


We will all be posting more information about this fun project soon!


Sending love and good thoughts to all!


Warmly,


Tracey and Family x0x

Memory Food: Easy Holiday Breakfast

"The earth bringeth forth fruit of itself." ~~Mark 4:28

Natural Enchantments tm : Trees Groaning with Fruit

"Gratitude is the Open Door to Abundance"

There's something almost enchanting about trees groaning with fruit.

...it's the simple goodness of whole foods as well as the untapped potential that becomes the preserved bounty.

Spent a week or so down at my Dad's house...visiting with family from out of state.  While down there I raided his lemon and orange trees!  Quandry...what to do with all this abundance! After sharing with family and friends, I went right to work slicing and dehydrating slices for use in cooking, craft and beauty projects all the while brainstorming other ways to make good use of this abundance.

Simple hand slicing is quick and easy.

I placed them in single layers and let them dry for several hours.

Dried citrus slices often keep well for a year or more if they are packaged carefully.

In the past I've used them to make these edible wreaths.

And as natural adornments for the holidays.

 This is an orange~y delight!

Fresh and/or dehydrated orange and lemon slices add a wondrous tang to home brewed teas in summer...do the same to warm cider or tea when autumn arrives.

And let's not forget the classic use of lemon and orange zest to flavor recipes!

This image of blood oranges is lovely...my Dad has a blood orange tree but it doesn't bear fruit until winter. :)

Candied orange peels dipped in chocolate are a delicious treat!

 Lemon curd as well!

Classic lemonade...lemon sweetener and water...I love this easy squeezing technique!

An even simpler frugal luxury...chilled water with lemon rounds!

And when we're all done...let's enjoy a soothing foot bath embellished with fresh lemon slices and petals from the garden!

Images: Here and Here.

Homespun Alchemy ™ ~ Vintage Silver

Culling Comforts and Treasures


"Rich the treasure,
Sweet the pleasure."
~John Dryden

Some of our recently culled treasures.

As you might already know, I've been a long~time collector of vintage silver and silver plate.


These recent additions to my treasure trove were acquired for a song at an estate sale! After snapping a few pictures to share here, I began a bit of research on how to put these lovelies to work. The images below are just a few of the many great ideas I've uncovered.

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Small Revere~style bowls become charming planters.

A "one and lonely" silver chalice becomes a lovely vase for a single bloom.

Silver pedestal cradles natural sachets and pretty soap in the powder room.

Silver trays are wonderful for corralling small collections.

Bent flatware transform into whimsical hooks...

...and ladles become storage for smaller items.

Silver bowls and pitchers enhance an ordinary buffet's beverage center/bar.

How do you use your vintage silver finds?



Do you prefer a slight tarnish...or a mirror~like shine?



Confession: I'm a tarnish girl...would love to hear your preferences!



We're off now to run a few errands. Wishing a lovely weekend to all of you...my kind and kindred souls!!!


Sending good thoughts, love and happy treasure culling!



Warmly,



Tracey and Family x0x






Images 1 & 2
Images 3 ~ 9

The Summer Gift Pantry: Easy Homemade Tea from Farm Stand Bounty

"Earth was bountiful, and we were surrounded with the blessings of the great mystery." ~~~Luther Standing Bull

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When preserving foods for your Gift Pantry, remember that summer offers us a bounty of fresh fruits and (hopefully) a kitchen garden brimming with delights. However, if you're too busy to garden or haven't any earth to till, you may wish to make use of the gifts of the season via roadside stands, farmers' markets, and "pick~your~own" orchards!

Our favorite farm stand.

We were blessed with bouquets of fresh spearmint from our favorite farm stand (at 50 cents per bunch they are a bargain!). I plucked the leaves from the stems and arranged them in single layers on the racks of our ordinary food dehydrator. (BELOW)

Fresh mint leaves ready to be dehydrated for tea.

Mint leaves fully dried.

I store the dried tea in cleaned and recycled coffee canisters until I'm ready to put together the tea bags for my gift pantry!

For more Gift Pantry ideas click HERE!

You're probably creating similar transformations in your own kitchens...it'd be fun to hear what you're stocking your summer Gift Pantry with!!!


Sending love and good thoughts to all, as always!


Warmly,


Tracey and Family x0x

Poetry in Ordinary Things©: Found~Treasures

"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar." ~~Shelley

Found~treasure...blackberry vines lying about in my Dad's yard...entwined with the Bougainvillea...true poetry in the ordinary.


Sending love and good thought to all!



Warmly,


Tracey and Family x0x